


All Talk and More Action

by Rachel_Lu



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Confessions, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Love Confessions, Matchmaker TARDIS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-12 21:57:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5682283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachel_Lu/pseuds/Rachel_Lu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The TARDIS and Rose have a girl talk that the Doctor overhears</p>
            </blockquote>





	All Talk and More Action

She wasn't sure when it had happened, her ability to communicate with the TARDIS.  Sometimes she would just hear a hum in the back of her head and know exactly what the TARDIS was trying to say to her.  She knew the Doctor spoke in his head when conversing with the TARDIS, but that had always been a bit weird to her, and she liked speaking out loud instead.

Rose had been browsing the library for quite some time when the TARDIS struck up another conversation about Rose's reading choices.

"I think it's fine," Rose said, turning the book over in her hands and finding nothing wrong with the plain red cover.  

The TARDIS hummed at her to read the description on the inside of the novel, warning her not to judge a book by its cover.  Figuring that the TARDIS knew more about the books in here than she did, she opened the front cover and read the description.  She promptly shut the book, her cheeks flaming.  "Gotcha," She mumbled, putting the book back.

She heard the TARDIS giggling in her head as she selected a more classic novel for her.  Rose toook it gratefully and went to sit on the couch to begin it.

***

The Doctor had been looking for Rose for awhile, but it seemed as though she was evading him, even if not intentionally.  He asked the TARDIS to send him Rose's way, but she seemed to otherwise engaged in conversation.  He furrowed his brows.  With _who?_

To his knowledge, he was the only sentient being on the ship who could communicate with the TARDIS, and the only other sentient one on the ship was Rose.  Rose couldn't speak with his ship, could she?  It was really quite impossible, being as she was a human and not at all telepathic.

He had a control center, he remembered vaguely.  If he could track Rose in there, though she wouldn't like it, he'd be able to figure out what, exactly, was going on.  Setting off in that direction, he allowed himself a brief moment to wonder what they were talking about.  Certainly an ageless time ship and a human girl couldn't have that much in common, could they?

On his way to his control center, he heard the sound of the sweet voice of Rose Tyler filtering from the library.  He stepped into the doorway, noting that she was sitting on the couch, her back to him.  He found himself wanting to listen and get comfortable.  Though it wasn't going to be in his best interest, the TARDIS would definitely not approve after all, he couldn't help wanting to hear what she had to say.

"What do you mean, what do I think of him?" Rose was asking, her voice defensive.  "You're the sentient time ship after all, certainly you know."

She sounded incredulous.  The Doctor quirked his eyebrow and had to refrain from really settling in to listen.  He had to be ready to make a run for it if she found out that he was listening in on what was certainly a private conversation.  The TARDIS wasn't letting him listen to her half, directing it solely at Rose, so he was very much being treated to a one-sided conversation.

Back on the couch, unaware that she was no longer alone, Rose shook her head.  "Come on, you've seen it all by now, haven't you?  Every companion, every loss.  I can't be the first."

The TARDIS sent her a comforting hum.   _You're the first of something.  You're special to him._

Rose snorted.  "Alright, listen, you may think that, but that's definitely not how it is.  I'm just like any other companion, I'll be out and back on the Powell Estates before you know it.  I'm going to miss you a lot when that happens."

In response, the TARDIS tried not to throw the equivalent of a hissy fit.   _He thinks of you as the most important woman in the universe._

"That's ridiculous," Rose said bluntly.  "Plenty of women before me, plenty of women after me, you know that just as well as I do."

From his spot against the door, the Doctor furrowed his brows.  Is that what she thought?  That once he was 'done with her', so to speak, he'd kick her out?  He'd promised her forever, and he'd meant it, but it didn't seem that she believed him.  Maybe she knew that he knew she couldn't stay around for 'his' forever.  Only hers.  But that would have to be enough.

He shifted uncomfortably.  She thought of herself as just another woman, someone replaceable, which was certainly not true.  Rose was the most important woman in, most likely, any of his lives.  The amount of time that he wanted to be around her was overwhelming.  It was so human of him that he barely recognized that he was Time Lord anymore.

Some days, he didn't feel like a Time Lord at all.  He was... He was just the Doctor, Rose Tyler's best mate, and definitely someone who could be more to her, if he asked her.  He knew she was attracted to him, mostly because he recognized the same emotions coming from her that were also coming from him.  Everything he felt for her was very simple but also so, so complicated.  There were days he just wanted to hold her, and he knew that he couldn't.

"Of course I love him," she was saying, and he felt his eyebrows shoot up at the words.  She loved him?  No, that was foolish human hormones, it had to be.  Unless it wasn't.  It was really, entirely possible that it wasn't.  He'd seen how she'd looked at him when she thought he hadn't seen her.  But he had, and he'd wanted to meet her gaze with the same stare, to tell her with every piece of him what he thought.  

He heard the TARDIS give a very low hum, and Rose's shoulders slumped.  "No," She said softly, "He doesn't.  Thanks, though."

Rose was starting to get up, and the Doctor darted quickly down the hallway before she could catch him.  Did she really think that?  He had to admit... No, what he had to _do_ was tell her exactly how wrong she was.  He did feel that way, and it was about time she knew.  If he didn't tell her, he would eventually lose her to a man who could lover her more openly.  Anything another man could give her, he could give her ten times more of. 

And, now resolved, he decided he would.

***

Later, even after the TARDIS's encouragement that the Doctor felt something for her, she found herself climbing into bed somewhat disappointed.  She knew, if it came to it, she would pour our her heart to him, but that would never be what he wanted.  The TARDIS, sensing her distraction and upset, turned her lights off as her favorite human crawled into bed.  

The Doctor, on the other hand, had done some very presumptuous things as the TARDIS was pitying Rose.  He'd taken off his jacket, tie, and shoes, completely prepared to cuddle up with Rose Tyler in her bed, should it come to that.  

He gave himself a short pep talk outside the door before knocking lightly on the door.  

Rose turned onto her back and threw her arm over her eyes.  Of course, she was going to let him in, but the point was that he never seemed to understand when he was sleeping.  "Come in," she said forcefully.  She saw the Doctor peek around the corner of her door before padding in shyly.  He walked straight over to her bed and sat on the side of it, looking down into her face. She raised her eyebrows at him in response.

"Hello," he said softly.

"Hello," she replied, "Did you need something?"

"No.  Yes.  Well, that depends really."

"Oh.  On what?"

"On you."

Rose tried not to raise her eyebrows again and ended up furrowing them.  "On me?  Do you want to leave the TARDIS right now, because I already told you I'm not up for nighttime walks."

"Sit up?" He asked quietly, his voice tentative and almost afraid.  She did so, unable to refuse a voice that sweet and shy.  

"What's wrong?" She asked him, raising her hand to cup his cheek.  He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.

"I heard you talking to the TARDIS earlier," He said.

She froze, her fingers still brushing his skin.  "Oh.  And?"

"And."  He said it as though it were an answer, a benediction, and then opened his eyes, but only so he could lead himself to her and kiss her.  Her breath hitched as his lips touched hers and he pulled away quickly, thinking he had done something wrong.  "I'm sorry," he said hastily, standing, "I'm sorry, I heard- I obviously misunderstood, I'll... I'll go."

He'd only taken about two steps before Rose got a hold of her senses and leaped out of bed to chase after him.  She grabbed him by the back of his collared shirt and spun him around.  "You understood," she said simply, and pulled him down to kiss her.  

This time, with her now explicit permission, he kissed her, his arms wrapping around her waist to hold her as close as he could.  He spent the night holding his favorite girl in his arms.

The TARDIS gave the time-ship equivalent of rolled eyes.  It was about time.


End file.
